Countdown to Paris: athletes to watch in the first weekend of the Olympics
The first week of the Paris Olympics doesn’t have many medals to be shared, but there’s plenty to win, and the biggest team sports will have begun. Here’s OlyBet.TV’s cheatsheet of athletes whose performances must be watched this coming weekend.
LeBron James – basketball
Although the greatest scorer in NBA history is used to pushing the boundaries of human abilities, Paris is very likely the last Olympics for the 39-year-old American. Sure, the Games will be held in his current hometown, Los Angeles, in four years, so he could continue. After all, Oscar Schmidt hung up his sneakers at 45…
But let’s get back on track. The USA, manned by virtually all American NBA superstars, won every single one of their pre-Olympic friendly matches, though two were nail-biters. It was James, not Stephen Curry, Anthony Edwards, or Joel Embiid, who steered the team to victory against South Sudan and Germany.
While it would be an exaggeration to say that James is the be-all and end-all of the US team, he plays a central role. His task is to wash away the shame of last year’s World Championships, where a team including Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton failed to win a medal.
LeBron hasn’t hidden his dissatisfaction with this outcome, which prompted him to call Curry and other stars to see if they would be willing to play in Paris.
As noted by the US media, James didn’t have to convince anyone too much.
Adam Peaty – men’s 100m breaststroke
The 29-year-old swimming phenom is heading to Paris to pursue his third consecutive Olympic gold in this event. Although Peaty holds the world record, his path to France has been anything but easy.
Everything started to go awry a little less than two years ago when the Englishman separated from the mother of his child and long-term girlfriend, Eirianedd Munro. Subsequently, Peaty abused alcohol, fell into depression, and paused his career last spring. Therapy and attending church helped him get back on track.
Peaty’s comeback has been successful. At the World Championships in Doha earlier this year, he won bronze in the 100m breaststroke, finishing behind American Nic Fink and Italian Nicolo Martinenghi. His season’s best time of 57.94 is the fastest in the world rankings.
Carlik Jones – basketball
Of course, when discussing the basketball tournament, one could also highlight Nikola Jokić, Giannis Antetokounmpo, or other stars. But it wouldn’t be surprising if South Sudan’s point guard Jones becomes one of the tourney’s biggest stars.
The 26-year-old point guard made his mark in the basketball world at last year’s World Championships, where Jones averaged 21 points, 10.4 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game.
Although the World Championships were great, they did not boost his NBA hopes. After failing to get a roster spot, Jones didn’t move to Europe but went to earn money in China, where he statistically excelled.
Jones proved he hadn’t lost a step in China when South Sudan played a pre-Olympic game against the USA, which the Africans lost by just one point. He achieved a triple-double and could have upset the Americans, but missed his final floater.
In Paris, Jones and South Sudan will get another chance to challenge the USA as they are in the same group.
Remco Evenepoel – individual time trial
The Belgian, who finished third in this year’s Tour de France, is only 24 years old but is already considered one of the best time trialists in history.
Evenepoel has won at least one time trial in every Grand Tour, the World, European, and Belgian Championships and has climbed to the top step of the podium numerous times.
This year’s Tour saw Evenepoel win the first time trial but come third in the second, losing to Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard. That time trial included climbs, while the Olympic course is flat, and the Slovenian and Dane won’t be there.
Winning gold would mean that Evenepoel has little to achieve in time trials. Although his recovery from the Tour is a huge question mark, the Belgian remains the top favorite. His biggest threat should be Italian Filippo Ganna, who lost to Evenepoel by 12.3 seconds at last year’s World Championships.
Andy Murray – tennis
The 37-year-old Murray could have been one of the most successful tennis players in history, but unfortunately for the Scotsman, he played during the peak years of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic. Nevertheless, three Grand Slam titles and two Olympic golds are far from a poor haul.
Paris is Murray’s last dance. The tennis ace, who has struggled with constant injuries in recent years, confirmed before the Olympics that he would end his career with this tournament.
Given Murray’s recent years, a third gold would be a complete shock. He has fallen to 121st in the ATP rankings, and this year, the Glasgow native has participated in 13 tournaments, winning only six out of 18 matches and reaching the third round just once.
But who knows what wings his last tournament might give him. One thing is for sure, Murray will leave everything on the court because he has nothing to lose!
